My whole life has been a lie. Nobody truly knows me. But I know myself, and I’m a coward. Years ago when my heart shattered, I used the weakest adhesives to put it back together. I can’t risk falling in love. My soul is too fragile. Love isn’t guaranteed. It’s always a gamble. And I know, better than most, that it’s not worth the fall. The body can only withstand so many tragedies before it ceases to exist. Only one person has made me want more. Only one. Yet I know it would break me to lose him, and he’d be impossible to recover from. The loss—devastating.

My fate was sealed the first time I met the gorgeous, fun, and older Ollie Hale. Though forbidden, he captivated me, and for years, I couldn’t let him go. I never thought I’d have him, but then…an unexpected kiss and the start of something new. My heart aches for his love while my mind tells me to run. I’ve seen this story before, and it doesn’t end well. He’s a damaged man unable to give me more, and I’m a woman who wants it all. I’ve dreamed of my happily ever after, but I’m terrified we’re heading toward a tragic ending. I’m just praying it doesn’t break me.

Ending my marriage is one of the best things I’ve ever done, and I vowed never to settle for anything less than I deserved again. In fact, taking time for myself—with no distractions—was all I needed. Of course, I never saw him coming. Gorgeous and amusing, he convinced me to agree to five rules.

I used to wonder if soul mates existed. I know now they’re real. Our love was true, raw, and deep - our connection, magical. Every day with him was a gift, and I knew it. He was my forever, yet our forever wasn’t long enough. Each second that passes without him hurts, and maybe it always will. They say that time heals all, and I hope they’re right. Perhaps time will save me, or maybe love will. When it comes to soul mates, who’s to say we get just one?

I've always been a tough North Shore girl. Fighting is in my blood, survival in my DNA. But two years ago, Caden King broke me, and he has proof of it. Now he wants to blackmail me into doing a job for him. The kind that puts my chance of escaping the North Shore at risk. The kind that means betraying my own crew.

At eight, he gave me roses. At fifteen, he gave me butterflies, and at seventeen, he gave me sanctuary. I wasn't a damsel in distress. He wasn't Prince Charming waiting to whisk me off my feet. We didn't meet by chance. He's been part of my life for years, and for most of that time, I've been under his spell.

Fighting wildfires is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do and I’m damn good at it. Being the captain of an interagency hotshot crew of wildland firefighters is high-risk, high-reward. The risk blindsided me five years ago when I lost one of my crew and was changed forever. Now the only rewards I allow are to work harder, smarter, and enjoy easy, sexy nights with strangers. Until I meet Prescott Timmons. Her smart-mouth and adventurous spirit have me forgetting all of my rules—until her past shows up and lies start to feel too familiar.

She's back. We were kids the last time I saw her, but my innocent crush from childhood is full-grown now. And it's not so innocent anymore. She's a breath of fresh air from the series of one-night stands since being drafted into the NHL. I've only got one shot with her, and I'm not taking it for granted. I may give her the passion she's been craving, but she's the intimacy I've waited for my whole life.

Am I friends with JP Cane? Ha! That's laughable. Besides the fact that he’s adopted some far-fetched notion from the movie When Harry Met Sally that says men and women can't be friends and work together, it’s safe to say we're not friends. He's annoyingly loud, obnoxiously handsome, and has made an art out of poking all my hot buttons...multiple times a day. So you can imagine how disgruntled I am when I not only have to fly to San Francisco with him for work, but stay in the same penthouse. Yup, we're sharing the same air, 24-7. We're talking full-fledged working roommates.

After getting ditched at the altar, every “I do” makes me want to scream. Which is a problem, considering I’m an associate editor at Bride magazine. Just when I thought my job couldn’t get any worse, I got roped into being a last-minute bridesmaid... and paired with Wilder Hayes.

I used to wonder if soul mates existed. I know now they’re real. Our love was true, raw, and deep - our connection, magical. Every day with him was a gift, and I knew it. He was my forever, yet our forever wasn’t long enough. Each second that passes without him hurts, and maybe it always will. They say that time heals all, and I hope they’re right. Perhaps time will save me, or maybe love will. When it comes to soul mates, who’s to say we get just one?

He told me that he’d destroy me. I knew he wasn’t lying, and I loved him anyway. I believed in love - in him. I just wasn’t prepared to carry the weight of his demons. I wanted forever with him, but life showed me love was temporary, and forever was a dream. Despite everything that happened, even now, I wouldn’t change any of it. For a love to have the capacity to destroy you, it has to be extraordinarily powerful - and that kind of love is impossible to walk away from.

Ending my marriage is one of the best things I’ve ever done, and I vowed never to settle for anything less than I deserved again. In fact, taking time for myself—with no distractions—was all I needed. Of course, I never saw him coming. Gorgeous and amusing, he convinced me to agree to five rules.

My fate was sealed the first time I met the gorgeous, fun, and older Ollie Hale. Though forbidden, he captivated me, and for years, I couldn’t let him go. I never thought I’d have him, but then…an unexpected kiss and the start of something new. My heart aches for his love while my mind tells me to run. I’ve seen this story before, and it doesn’t end well. He’s a damaged man unable to give me more, and I’m a woman who wants it all. I’ve dreamed of my happily ever after, but I’m terrified we’re heading toward a tragic ending. I’m just praying it doesn’t break me.

My whole life has been a lie. Nobody truly knows me. But I know myself, and I’m a coward. Years ago when my heart shattered, I used the weakest adhesives to put it back together. I can’t risk falling in love. My soul is too fragile. Love isn’t guaranteed. It’s always a gamble. And I know, better than most, that it’s not worth the fall. The body can only withstand so many tragedies before it ceases to exist. Only one person has made me want more. Only one. Yet I know it would break me to lose him, and he’d be impossible to recover from. The loss—devastating.